Compartmented pad

ABSTRACT

A COMPARTMENTED PAD STRUCTURE IS CONSTRUCTED FROM A BLANK OF PAPERBOARD OR THE LIKE WHICH IS CUT AND SCORED TO PROVIDE A PAIR OF LONGITUDINAL PARTITION PANELS THAT ARE FOLDABLE UPWARDLY FROM THE EDGES OF THE BLANK INTO PARALLEL SPACED RELATION. THE PARTITION PANELS INCLUDE MEANS WHICH COOPERATE WITH THE RAMAINING BLANK STRUCTURE TO RETAIN THE PANELS IN POSITION, AND, PROVISION IS MADE FOR THE ADDITION OF AT LEAST ONE OTHER SEPARATE PANEL ELEMENT FOR DIVIDING THE PAD INTO A GREATER NUMBER OF COMPARTMENTS.

Nov. 7, 1972 w. s. ADAMS 3,702,170

COMPARTMENTED PAD Filed Jul 29. 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I I? I27 INVENTOR William 5'. Adams ATTORNEY Nov. 7, 1972 Will/ am .SiAdams BY 4 d Aim ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,702,170 COMPARTMENTED PAD William S. Adams, Runnemede, N.J., assignor to Westvaco Corporation, New York, N.Y. Filed July 29, 1970, Ser. No. 59,214 Int. Cl. B65d /48 US. Cl. 229- 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A compartmented pad structure is constructed from a blank of paperboard or the like which is cut and scored to provide a pair of longitudinal partition panels that are foldable upwardly from the edges of the blank into parallel spaced relation. The partition panels include means which cooperate with the remaining blank structure to retain the panels in position, and, provision is made for the addition of at least one other separate panel element for dividing the pad into a greater number of compartments.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION This invention relates to a partition formed of foldable paperboard, and more particularly, to a partition having a base pad and separator panels hinged to and upstanding from the base pad for defining a plurality of spaced compartments.

An object of the invention is to provide a paperboard partition having a base pad of full transverse partition dimension and having at least two full height separator sections upstanding from the base pad in parallel spaced relation to define at least three spaced compartments on the base pad.

Another object of this invention is to provide cooperating means on the base pad and as a part of the partition panels for maintaining the partition panels in their generally upright position.

Yet another object of this invention is to define a paperboard partition element or compartmented pad that is unusually stable and rigid when erected but which requires the bare minimum amount of paperboard for its construction.

Hence this invention is intended to provide an improvement in compartmented pad structures which may be quickly and easily folded to yield a filler element to be used for supporting a plurality of generally similar objects in a predetermined arrangement during shipment and storage.

Many items such as bottles, electronic parts, toys, china and food stuffs are often sold in bulk containers or packages. However, depending upon the fragility of the items packaged, a serious problem of breakage occurs by the time the products reach the hands of the consumer. In order to prevent such breakage and to provide an attractive and safe display of the products sold, it is desirable to provide a cellular structure to retain the items in a predetermined formation during shipment and storage. It is therefore, an object of this invention to provide an inexpensive compartmented pad for such a purpose.

An object of the present invention resides in the provision of an integral panel of paperboard which is cut and scored to provide a pad element with a pair of longitudinal partition panels which are foldable upwardly from the outside edges thereof into spaced parallel relation. This sequence yields a pad divided into three separate compartments with upstanding end portions at two opposite sides of the pad. After folding the two longitudinal partition panels into spaced parallel relation, a transverse partition panel may be added into intersecting relation with the first folded partition panels to form additional cellular compartments on the pad element.

A further feature of the present invention resides in the provision of slits in the transverse panels which interlock with cooperating slits in the first partition panels to help hold the partition panels in spaced right angular relation.

If desired, it would also be possible to print a graphic design on the upstanding end portions of the first partition panels in the event the goods are packaged in a bag or wrapper of transparent material.

Furthermore, this invention provides an integral compartmented pad element of greatly simplified and unusually economical construction. While the pad of this invention is preferably to be made of paperboard, it could also be constructed from any other suitable foldable material of suflicient rigidity to substantially maintain the compartmentation originally provided.

Thus a unitary pad and partition is provided which uses a minimum of material for its construction. It obviates the need for excessive inventory and separate pad members and separate partition members. One simple, convenient blank is useful for both the pad and partition including a provision for increasing the number of compartments with the addition of one or more auxiliary partition elements.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING FIG. 1 illustrates in plan the basic blank for the preferred construction of pad and partition;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the compartmented pad constructed from the FIG. 1 blank;

FIG. 3 shows a typical auxiliary partition element for use with the basic pad structure;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of the combination basic pad structure and auxiliary partition element; and,

FIG. 5 shows the compartmented pad of FIG. 4 inside a container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The basic blank structure shown in FIG. 1 is employed to form a three compartmented pad as illustrated in FIG. 2. The base portion 10 is continuous throughout the entire area of the pad with the partition elements 12 and 14 defining the three distinct compartments. Accordingly, the blank is cut and scored to yield the desired relationship of panels as shown. The longitudinal partition panel 12 is cut from the blankstructure along a out line 11 which extends from a free edge of the blank to the intersection of a pair of fold lines 17, 19. Fold lines 17, 19 are located at one corner of the blank and are sized so as to provide an upstanding end portion 18 of a specified desired height. The length of score line 17 .is substantially equal to the width of one of the three sections of the compartmented pad, whereas the length of score line 19 is equal to the height of the longitudinal partition panel 12. Obviously each of these dimensions could be varied to suit the specific requirements of the compartment desired. Similarly, the blank is cut and scored at the opposite side to form the longitudinal panel 14 and the upstanding end portion 16. A out line 13 extends from an opposite free edge of the blank to the intersection of a pair of fold lines 15, 20. Score line 15 corresponds to the width of one of the three sections of the pad, and is preferably equal to one-third of the total width of the pad 10, whereas score line 20 is equal to the height of the longitudinal partition panel 14. Of course, in the preferred embodiment, the pad would be divided into three equally sized sections while the score lines 19, 20 would also be of equal length to form partition panels of equal height.

In order to secure the longitudinal partition panels 12, 14 in their upright and parallel spaced apart relationship, slotted spaces are provided at 23- and 24 in pad 10 to cooperate with tab elements 25, 26 which are integral with the panels 12 and 14. FIG. 2 shows this interlocking arrangement with the reference characters 25 and 26 applied to the slots remaining in pad from which the tab ele ments were cut.

FIGS. 1 and 2 also illustrate the slots 21 and 22 which are applied to the longitudinal partition panels 14, 12 respectively for accommodating an auxiliary transverse partition panel to divide the compartmented pad into additional smaller compartments. In the embodiment shown, a single slot has been cut from each partition panel at its center for accommodating a single transverse partition panel. Obviously, more than one slot could be applied to each longitudinal partition panel for accepting more than one transverse partition panel thereby yielding additional compartments. In addition, for packaging products of varying size, the transverse partition panels could be offset from center or placed at random. The only requirement being that the slots 21, 22 be cut a minimum of halfway through the width of the partition panels and that they be in alignment for accepting the auxiliary transverse panels.

Thus a simple three compartmented pad can be formed from a single blank of die cut or rotary cut material which is then pre-formed before use in either a shipping carton or as a singular overwrapped package. Further, the single blank with three compartments can be supplemented with one or more separate auxiliary die cut or rotary cut pieces of material for forming six or more compartments on the basic three compartmented pad. The die-cut preparation is used for larger lot runs where the cost of making the die can be justified by the volume of items sold. However, for a limited lot run, the compartmented pad is also susceptible of being formed on a printer-slotter machine. Some of the pad refinements cannot be accomplished by slotting the blank, but the principle is still applicable. For instance, when the basic three compartmented blank is formed by slotting, the locking tabs 25, 26 and locking slots 23, 24 cannot be cut in the sheet. However, the auxiliary partition panel slots 21, 22 can be slotted in the sheet and the same scoring scheme can be carried out on the printer-slotter as on the diecut press.

FIG. 3 illustrates a typical auxiliary transverse partition panel 30 which includes slots 31, 32 for mating with the slots 21, 22 of the longitudinal partition panels 14 and 12.

FIG. 4 shows the combination of the basic three compartmented pad of FIG. 2 and auxiliary partition panel 30. In this arrangement, the pad includes six compartments of equal size and having side walls of equal height. Note that two diagonally opposed compartments are further flanked by the upstanding end walls 16 and 18.

The compartmented pad of FIG. 4 may be placed in a container such as the container 40 shown in FIG. 5. This is a standard container having side walls and upper and lower flaps which form the upper and lower walls of the container. In the single height container shown, the pad forms a double strength lower wall and the partition panels divide the container into six compartments. In a double or triple height container the pad member 10 would divide the container into different layers acting as a horizontal divider member. Accordingly, where it was desired to employ the compartmented pad as a dividing element in the container, or where the container required additional stacking strength, it would be preferable to orient the corrugations of a corrugated paperboard pad parallel to the score lines 19, 20 and the slots 21, 22. In this manner, the compression strength of the vertically oriented corrugations would add materially to the stacking strength of the container.

Thus the invention described herein provides a novel cell dividing and padding member for a container structure which is adapted for easy assembly in the carton from any desired sheet material. The compartmented pad so claimed is simple and light-weight, yet rugged in construction thereby serving to minimize any possibility of III crushing of the carton for further reducing any possibility of injury to the packaged goods. The compartmented pad is also susceptible of modification for obtaining diiferent numbers of substantially equally sized cells, or for cells of different sizes.

Each of the compartments may receive one or more items when packaged and they may be either loosely or snugly packed. The padding and crush strength provided by the different partition panels of the compartmented pad, and the pad itself serve to reduce any possibility of injury or breakage to the items packed. The pad structure not only aids in protecting the packaged items, but also tends to distribute any downward crushing loads imposed on the upstanding partition panels for resisting localized deflection of the carton and possible injury thereto or to a container and goods which may be stacked therebeneath.

Thus while preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein, it is obvious that many structural details may be changed without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

'1. A compartmented pad formed from a generally rectangular blank of material suitably cut and scored to comprise:

(a) a rectangular base pad of smaller area than the area of the blank;

(b) a pair of upstanding end panels hinged at their lower edges to diagonally opposed edges of said base pad to extend vertically from and along only a fractional distance of the width of said base pad; and,

(c) a pair of upstanding partition panels hinged along the inboard edges of said end panels to extend vertically from and longitudinally of the base pad in spaced apart and substantially parallel relationship.

2. A compartmented pad according to claim 1 wherein the vertical heights of the end panels and the partition panels from the base pad are equal thereby defining the vertical dimension of the compartmented pad.

3. A compartmented pad according to claim 1 wherein said base pad includes locking means to cooperate with integral means on the bottom of each partition panel for retaining the partition panels in their generally parallel upstanding condition.

4. A compartmented pad formed from a generally rectangular blank of material suitably cut and scored to comprise:

(a) a rectangular base pad of smaller area than the area of the blank;

(b) a pair of upstanding end panels hinged at their lower edges to diametrically opposed edges of said base pad to extend vertically from and along only a fractional distance of the width of said base pad;

(c) a pair of upstanding partition panels hinged along the inboard edges of said end panels to extend vertically from and longitudinally of the base pad in spaced apart and substantially parallel relationship; 2

(d) said end panels and partition panels having vertical heights from the base pad that are substantially equal thereby defining the vertical dimension of the compartmented pad;

(e) said partition panels being formed in the blank by a cut line extending from a free edge of said blank and partially across the blank and a fold line coextensive with said cut line and extending the remaining distance across said blank; and,

(if) said end panels being formed in said blank by the fold line coextensive with said cut line and a second fold line perpendicular to the first fold line and extending from a free edge of said blank to the juncture of said first out line and said first fold line.

5. A compartmented pad according to claim 4 wherein the length of the first pair of fold lines determines the width of the compartments on the base pad and the length of the second pair of fold lines defines the height of the compartments above the base pad.

6. A compartmented pad according to claim 5 wherein said base pad includes locking means which cooperate with integral means on the bottom of each partition panel for retaining the erected panels in their generally parallel upstanding condition.

7. A compartmented pad according to claim 6 wherein the locking means in said base pad comprise slotted spaces and the integral means on said partition panels comprise tab elements.

8. A compartmented pad according to claim 7, wherein the base pad partition panels each include means for accepting at least one additional partition panel to form additional compartments.

9. A compartment pad according to claim 8 wherein the base pad partition panels are slotted at their upper edges to engage cooperating slots in the additional partition panels for locking said additional panels in position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,596,205 5/1952 Buttery 22942 UX 3,327,919 6/1967 Kim 229-15 3,317,111 5/1967 Black 22915 2,177,390 10/1939 Huber 22935 1,746,507 2/1930 Wolff 22935 2,830,749 4/1958 Lauritzen 22915 3,152,744 10/1964 Urana 22928 2,147,675 2/1939 Shoemaker et al. 22835 2,180,104 11/1939 De Marco, Jr 229 -35 3,236,433 2/1966 Barrett et al. 22942 2,322,239 6/1943 Kramer 22928 R FOREIGN PATENTS 290,922 5/1928 Great Britain 229*35 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner 20 S. MARCUS, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

